Electronic commerce is facilitated by applications available on handheld or mobile devices. Such applications may be integrated with Point of Sale (POS) systems installed and used in retail establishments such as bars, restaurants, retail stores, and other public venues where products and services are offered for sale. In bars and restaurants it is a common and well-known action to open a tab with the restaurant or bar upon which charges for requested food, drink, or services may be accumulated and presented for payment at the termination of the users stay in the retail establishment.
Payment systems that can integrate with a POS in a restaurant exist in the stream of commerce. For example, U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0191196 provides a description of a mobile application that provides a method to pay a restaurant and/or bar bill. However, this process is confined to a mobile application and is too tightly coupled with POS providers who will allow the mobile application to integrate with the POS. The mobile application described must be configured to operate with the existing software within a smartphone. Only Guest Experience smartphone users can use this mobile application.
The Square iPhone and Android application allows any business to accept credit card payments with an attachment for the mobile device with WiFi and/or 3G-4G connections. This application requires a strong Internet connection and does not integrate well with existing POS solutions. Restaurants and other businesses must use and be registered with Square for customers to pay using the Square payment application. This payment solution actually takes the place of the retail vender's POS system rather than integrating with the vender's POS system.
RAIL by ViableWare is a payment option for restaurants to allow patrons to pay at the table without intercession by the wait staff. ViableWare provides hardware that integrates with the restaurant's existing POS system and provides the opportunity for customers to pay with provided tablets that can accept credit cards, 2d barcodes, gift cards and other forms of payment. The tablets are linked to the existing POS system and RAIL hardware using a wireless router. In this solution, security and functionality are only as strong as the restaurant's wireless connection. Patrons can pay a restaurant bill at the table only with hardware provided by ViableWare and made available at the table by the restaurant.